Social media has emerged as a major strategic tool for Public Relation Outreach (PRO) initiatives. This kind of PR activity comes with a fancy name, Digital PR. So, what is the big difference between conventional PR and digital PR? It is not much except in the application of outreach methodologies since the ultimate goal of PR is effective and convincing communication. Digital PR, however, has its challenges and tackling them need a fundamental change in the mindset of organisations and PR Agencies which handle their social media accounts. But it is doubtful whether such a mindset change has happened since many of them continue to be the prisoners of the traditional PR mould. But what is this ‘mindset change’ we are talking about?
‘Democratisation of content,’ is the precise answer to this question. But, before delving into this further, we need to take a step back and go to the pre-globalisation era for better understanding. In the case of India, it was the period before 1990 – an era that would be remembered for socialistic approach, under-performing white elephants called public sector companies, an ecosystem that discouraged entrepreneurship and profits and strict government controls that stifled and strangulated the nation’s economy instead of fuelling growth. But liberalisation of the economy changed all that to some extent since, late though a realisation has dawned on the political establishment that government should assume the role of a facilitator rather than a controller to put the country on the track of growth.
This changed political thinking has been reflecting in policy decisions and administrative approach for over three decades now with successive governments loosening their control creating a new environment where the most competent businesses can not only survive but also thrive. The businesses, in fact, were clamoring for such a change for many years and naturally they were delighted to work in the new ecosystem with minimal bureaucratic interference. Even as the businesses won a major political concession, it is an irony that they are yet to take cue from the changed political perception since they continue to have tight control over their content and are not willing cede even an inch of ground to accommodate customer views.
It is here the democratisation of content becomes relevant. Different studies conducted in various parts of the world have found that mere application of social networking tools and collaborating technologies alone would not bring about competitive advantage. Instead, they will bear fruits only when practiced with a changed mindset. This mindset, according to experts, calls for higher levels of trust and looser control, extreme transparency and one hundred percent authenticity. In a globalised world where social media is not a pushover, it would be foolhardy on the part of the businesses to think that brands and brand values can be controlled through marketing strategies alone. On the contrary, they can be inappropriate and can even backfire at times in a world ruled by social media.
The PR communication in the conventional platform is more of a one-way exercise. In the process of establishing a brand and brand values, this method leaves little or no space to accommodate customer voice. But when you use social media platforms to augment the success of your brand, it definitely won’t work for the simple reason that they are built on the algorithmic principles of interaction. Also, what one need to understand is that customers these days do not want advertising pushed at them since they now have the liberty to research on the products they want to buy. Today’s customers just do not go by the hype and hoopla of advertising blitz. Instead, they spend time reading product reviews by their fellow-customers before taking decisions.
It is not just that. The customers today are so discerning they want to trace back the history of the products – the place from where the raw-materials are sourced, how they are processed, the way the final product is packaged and transported. They also want to assess the carbon footprints left by the process and how it impacts environment, public and personal health. This is especially true in the food processing industry. Some major players are already resorting to the application of Internet of Things (IoT) tools which give a precise picture of farm-to-fork history of the delicacies they serve, to satisfy the growing customer sensitivity. But they are far and few, and a vast majority of the organisations still continue to believe that a customer has to take what is offered on plate without questions.
Unfortunately, many organisations and their PR Agencies believe that the best way to tackle publicity challenge is to delete negative posts from its Facebook or other social media pages under the garb of reputation management. Not many years ago, Nestle itself came under fire for resorting to such a tactic while the share price of United Airlines took a significant drop after a hapless customer posted a song on YouTube titled ‘United Breaks Guitars, after his musical instruments got damaged in flight. Such unfortunate media disasters can easily be avoided if only organisations and their PR Agencies are not stuck in the ‘control’ paradigm. It is time they realised, the control key has shifted hands and customer is the one who takes calls now, like it or leave.
This awareness will help organisations and their PR Agencies understand how content is increasingly getting democratised in the social media era and why the traditional PR techniques aimed at enhancing brand value won’t cut much ice with the customers. They should also know that social networking is here to stay and their tools and complexity will continue to evolve influencing the businesses in more ways than one. So, instead of researching how to avert bad publicity on social media platforms, organisations and their PR Agencies should learn the techniques with which these new-age communication tools could be harnessed to enhance brand value and market standing through openness, honesty transparency.
If organisations tout such values that they do not have or indulge in kite flying about the quality of the products they offer, it would be easily discovered by the smart customer. So, organisations and their PR Agencies should bridge the gap between their words and actions to establish authenticity. As control is moving into the hands of the customers, organisations are coming under greater public scrutiny irrespective of their size or social standing. It is an inescapable situation and the best response would be to cede control in a way that results trust and continued customer loyalty. If the political establishment can relegate itself to the role of a facilitator after being in control for scores of years, there is no reason why organisations and their PR Agencies cannot do this.
It would not be wise idea to give a miss to social media platforms in the brand promotion exercise. If you perceive these platforms as a threat, they will remain a threat. But a more pragmatic approach would be to see the untapped opportunities they hold and how they can be leveraged. If you worry about greater public scrutiny, then it is time to clean up your act rather deleting negative posts because that simply is not the remedy to manage your reputation. It is here the ‘mindset change’ becomes relevant which is nothing but the democratisation of content, keeping oneself clean, and accepting mistakes gracefully when they are pointed out. This makes the basic framework for truthful Digital PR and it starts with ceding control to the customer.